The Navy says the San Diego-based littoral combat ship USS Canberra has arrived in Bahrain, where it is the first of four vessels in its class assigned to find and disable mines in the Persian Gulf area.
Littoral combat ships are meant to replace wooden-hull Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships, which were introduced in the late 1980s.
“Today is about showcasing the United States’ continued commitment to maritime regional security in a broader sense, but in a specific sense, the friendship that we enjoy and never take for granted with the Kingdom of Bahrain,” according to a statement by Vice . George Wikoff, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command.
There are two types of littoral combat ships, both of which have struggled to perform their original missions, which were to include mine countermeasures, hunting submarines and fighting surface threats close to shore, the General ability Office and other agencies have reported.
